Colliding
by tocktick
Summary: Doctor Who, Torchwood crossover. Takes place after Doomsday and End of Days. When Rose is found by the Torchwood crew, sans Jack, of her universe, it is only a matter of time before the Doctor and trouble catch up with her.
1. Chapter 1

"Oi!" Gwen managed, as she found herself thrown against the side of the van, "Watch  
your driving, Owen!"

Instead of repyling, Owen sent her a mischevious glance, before returning his full attention  
to the rapidly approaching intersection in front of them.

"Which way?" he shouts commandingly, a look of steely determination now occupying his  
face.

Tosh typed furiously on the keyboard in the back seat, never taking her eyes off  
the screen in front of her, "The creature is turning left up Hollins Street!" she said quickly, "And  
I would like to second Gwen's driving complaint. The roads are terrible right now."

Owen spun the steering wheel violently counterclockwise, taking the van skidding onto the slick  
Hollins Street, "No one like a backseat driver, Tosh."

Gwen rolled her eyes before taking her hand catiously down from the roof of the vehicle where  
it had been braced and putting it on the communicating device attached to her ear, "Ianto,  
do you have anymore information about what exactly it is that we are currently risking our lives  
to chase?"

Ianto's calm, smooth voice echoed into all of their ears, "Reports suggest that it came through  
the rift sometime yesterday evening, leaving this lovely weather pattern in its wake."

Gwen stared at the nearly unvisible street ahead of them. The city of Cardiff had been plagued  
by torrential downpours and strong gales for the past 24 hours, making the capture of this unknown  
assailant especially difficult for the team of Torchwood. Not that anything had been particularly  
easy since Jack had mysteriously disappeared right under her nose just a month prior.

"The creature does not seem to be following any kind of pattern, nor does he appear to have an  
intended destination," Ianto continued. "It's almost as if..." his voice took on an air of uncertainty,  
"It's almost as if he's trying to get our attention."

Owen let out a humorless laugh, eyes still on the road ahead, "Well, it worked. I don't know about  
you guys, but if I step in one more puddle, I'm moving to London."

"Your life is so hard, Owen," Gwen chided in a sarcastic tone.

Owen snapped his focus from the road to look at Gwen and took on an offensive tone, "Well, excuse me - "

"Sorry to interrupt this little lover's spat," Tosh began, ignoring irritated looks from both Gwen and Owen,  
"but the creature has seemed to have disappeared."

"What?" Gwen asked, a look of confusion mirroring the one on Owen's.

"And have you noticed anything different outside?" Ianto questioned vaguely.

Owen, Gwen, and Tosh glanced out their respective windows as Owen slowed the van almost to a halt.  
Though the sky was still overcast and the night was still far from pleasant, the thundering rain had stopped  
pounding on the pavement around them.

Gwen turned to the back seat, "Where was it last seen, Tosh?"

Tosh stared at her screen for a moment before looking up, past Gwen. "Down there." She raised her hand  
to point at a small street tucked between two rather decrepid-looking buildings not far from where the van  
was now parked.

The three colleagues got out of the car, Owen stepping out of his seat with a small splash and a muttered  
curse under his breath. Both Gwen and Tosh chuckled quietly.

"Shut up," Owen demanded, obviously angry and slightly embarrassed.

Gwen gave him a pat on the shoulder as he came around to join them on the other side of the van, "Don't  
worry. I'll come to visit you. I always loved the shopping in London." Owen merely answered with a glare.

They all began to move toward the dark street. Owen and Gwen both had their weapons cautiously out, while  
Tosh had a small, handheld tracker which she used to direct them to the spot of the disappearance,

"It's at the end of this street," she said confidently, though still glancing down at her device every so often  
for reassurance, as if the information was going to change.

As they entered the street and got closer to the brick wall of the building at the end, a dark form came into view  
on the ground at the end of the street.

"What is that?" Gwen thought aloud.

Ianto's concerned voice came on over the communicators, "What is what?"

Owen clutched his gun a bit tighter as they pressed carefully forward, "Looks like our creature is the visible kind  
of disappeared."

"Tosh?" Gwen questioned, not daring to take her eye off of the still form, lying on the ground, shadowed by the  
dumpster beside it.

Ianto's voice was becoming increasingly frustrated, "Guys? What's going on?"

"I'm not picking up anything." Tosh responded, obviously confused. "According to this, the creature disappeared.  
It doesn't read anything in that spot."

Owen smirked, stating sarcastically, "Well that's comforting. I guess we're just seeing things." He glanced at Gwen,  
"You take left, I'll go right." At her nod of agreement, they parted ways, slowly approaching the silent form.

"Could someone please answer me!" Ianto shouted a bit loudly, causing Owen, Gwen and Tosh to instinctively  
bring their hands to their ears.

"Ianto! Do you mind?" Owen growled angrily, "We're kind of in the middle of something here."

Gwen's mind was already back on the task at hand, "Tosh, do you have the flashlight?" They had reached the creature  
on the ground, but were still unable to identify it, as aggressive or otherwise. "I can't see anything over here."

Tosh moved closer to the other two as Owen nudged the form with his foot, to no response.

"Owen, are you crazy?!" Gwen scolded, "You have no idea what we're dealing with here! That thing could have bitten  
your foot off."

Tosh managed to find the flashlight and clicked it on, shining a dim beam of light on the form before them. It was a young,  
girl. She was unhealthily thin, her skin as pale as snow, save for the marks of abuse evident on her face. Owen, Gwen,  
and Tosh stood stunned for a moment, before Owen tore his eyes up from the horrible site before them to look at Gwen,  
"Oh yeah, she looks like a real beast."

Owen's comment seemed to break Gwen's trance and spur her into action. She quickly knelt down beside the girl, pushing  
her hair out of her face and away from her neck so that she could check for a pulse.

"My god, she's as cold as ice," Gwen said distractedly as she moved her ear right beside her mouth. "She's not breathing!"  
She cried, a look of utmost concern on her face.

"Owen, go get the AED!" Gwen spat out hurriedly before she gave the girl two rescue breaths and pushed down on her  
chest forcefully.

When Owen returned 30 seconds later with the AED machine, the girl was still not breathing despite Gwen's  
best efforts. He opened the AED and pushed a frantic Gwen out of the way to press the adhesive paddles to the girl's chest.

It seemed like it took a lifetime for the machine to charge. Gwen was continuing CPR, while Owen and Tosh watched rather  
helplessly. All of them kept unnaturally silent as their minds raced, calculating the slim chances they had of resusciatating this  
girl after god knows how long she had not been breathing. The machine finally beeped, causing Tosh to jump slightly. Owen  
made sure Gwen was clear before pressing the button and sending a charge to the girl's heart.

The girl's eyes opened immediately, wide with panic. She gasped, taking as much air as possible into her deprived lungs.  
The girl was terrified.

Gwen stroked her hair gently and said in a soothing voice, "It's okay. You're going to be alright."

The girl seemed unconvinced. Her eyes darting around wildly, trying to figure out where she was. Gwen moved her other  
hand to the opposite side of the girl's face, attempting to get her attention,  
"My name is Gwen. I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name, sweetheart?"

The girl attempted to say something, but began to cough instead. As soon as she had stopped, she focused on Gwen for  
the first time, observing her with eyes that Gwen thought seemed much too old for the young girl. When she finally spoke, her  
voice was surprisingly controlled and forceful.

"My name is Rose...Rose Tyler." And then she passed out.

The first thing Rose felt when she regained consciousness was the warmth. Someone was gently holding her right hand.  
She hadn't felt this safe since...well, for a long time. She slowly opened her eyes to see a dark-haired woman she recognized.  
But that was impossible. The woman, who had previously gazing off pensievely into the distance, turned her head and  
smiled at Rose when she realized that she was awake.

"Hey," the woman said, speaking in a soft, even tone. "How are you feeling?"

Rose furrowed her brow in recognition, "Gwenyth?" she asked apprehensively.

The woman laughed lightly, "Well, that's what my parents call me when they're particularly fed up with me, but if that means  
you're remembering and haven't suffered any brain damage, then it is fine by me."

She spoke with a Welsh accent and she had the same knowing eyes, but it seemed highly improbable. This woman was  
much to modern and free-spirited to be the Gwenyth Rose had met so long ago, and this was a different universe.

It was then that everything came back to her. Waking up on that dark, wet street with Gwen hovering above her. She had no  
idea how she had gotten there. She remembered being at work. At Torchwood.

Gwen's big eyes looked at her with concern, "It was a little early for that brain damage comment, yeah? You can just forget  
I said that." Gwen's eyes twinkled kindly and Rose immediately decided that she liked this woman just as much as her Gwenyth.

"Sorry," Rose began, trying to lift herself up to a sitting position. "I'm feeling kind of foggy." She attempted  
a smile, but she raised her hand quickly to her face when her bruised cheek cried out in protest.

"You should take it easy," Gwen advised. "You're pretty bruised up."

Gwen seemed as if she wanted to ask Rose more, but at that moment three other people chose to walk down the stairs to what  
Rose supposed must have been an infirmary of sorts. The first one, a skinny man with dark eyes and a thin smile spoke first,  
"I see Sleeping Beauty's awake. You gave us a right good scare. You've been out for two days."

Rose frowned slightly at this. She didn't like to lose time like that, especially when she was among strangers. She was just lucky  
that this strangers appeared to be the friendly kind.

Gwen stood up, realizing Rose's discomfort and assuming it had something to do with the new people in the room,  
"Rose, these are the other people who found you." She went to stand by them. "This is Owen," she said, putting her hand  
on the first man's shoulder. "Tosh," she moved to a petite Asian woman with glasses and kind eyes. "And Ianto," moving to a young,  
good-looking man with a haunted look about him, the look of loss. Rose supposed she recognized it so well because she saw  
it staring back at her whenever she looked in the mirror.

"Hello. Nice to meet you all," Rose said, with a large smile, "but I really should be going." She moved to sit up on the hospital cot."People will be worried."

The three exchanged a look before Gwen stepped forward, "You're in no condition to leave. You've been unconscious for 48 hours.  
You nearly died," she put a hand gently on her shoulder, "And we would like you to answer some questions."

Rose's eyes narrowed slightly. She shrugged Gwen's hand off her shoulder. "You'd like me to answer some questions or you need  
me to answer some questions," Rose questioned with an accusatory tone in her voice, taking all of them by surprise.

They all were a bit shocked that the seemingly innocuous girl had seen right through them, but Gwen continued anyway.  
"We just want to figure out what happened to you so that it doesn't happen to anyone else," she managed.

Ianto stepped forward to join Gwen. "According to your records, you died during the Battle of Canary Wharf," his  
smooth voice caught a bit at the name. He regained his composure and continued, "That was almost 9 months ago."

Rose's mind was racing. The Battle of Canary Wharf? Records of her death? That would mean...she was in her universe. Her  
eyes filled with tears at the mere possibility of it all. Was she home? It seemed to good to be true. And too much to think about at the  
moment. She turned her attention back to the people standing around her.

Gwen, mistaking Rose's emotional reaction to ignorance of her "death", said sympathetically to Rose, "Do you remember what  
happened after Canary Wharf? Do you remember how you got to Cardiff?"

Rose's mind was still reeling, but she managed to look impressively fierce when she addressed them, "Before I answer any of  
your questions, I would like you to answer some of mine." She waited for any protests and upon receiving none, continued,  
"First of all, where am I?"

Owen answered quickly, looking somewhat relieved that Rose was handling things rationally, rather than emotionally, "You're  
at a place called Torchwood. It's an underground facility in Cardiff." He glanced around at the others before continuing,  
"We're a sort of...government agency."

Surprise and recognition flickered across Rose's face before she managed to hide them. Generally speaking, she had never  
been very good at hiding her emotions. Government agency, huh? Wasn't exactly the best description, but still Owen was revealing  
more to her than she was to them. She supposed they were planning on just giving her a Retcon and making her forget everything  
afterwards anyway, so what was the use in lying?

Owen took Rose's silence for acceptance, "Any other questions to ask us?"  
Rose searched for questions she wanted to ask them, but realized that most of the questions she had could not be answered by  
the people standing before her. She couldn't exactly ask if she was in the "right" universe? She doubted that would go over well.  
"Umm...no. I'm good." Rose exclaimed dramatically, fueled by the feeling of guaranteed danger and adventure that she seemed to thrive on.  
"Ask away," she said brightly.

Surprised by her apparent candor and sudden enthusiasm, the questions that the Torchwood team had seemed so eager to ask  
were slow coming.

Tosh stepped forward and spoke for the first time, "What do you remember after the Battle of Canary Wharf?" She seemed  
genuinely interested in what Rose had to say.

Rose's eyes clouded with memories and pain briefly before she settled on a reply to the question. She couldn't tell them what  
she really remembered. Her only experience with the Torchwood in this universe had been significantly negative. Even before  
the whole thing turned apocalyptic, they had threatened to shoot her. She wasn't going to risk becoming a lab rat to be poked  
and prodded, or worse yet, a prisoner to be forgotten in a cage somewhere until she was old and grey.

"I don't remember very much," she thought of Canary Wharf and called on the fear she had felt that day to make her lie convincing,  
"There were Cybermen everywhere. I just wanted to escape. The next thing I remember is waking up in that street with you lot." It wasn't hard  
to convey genuine emotion, all the feelings she had of that day were still fresh in her mind, even months afterwards. She doubted  
she could ever forget the worst day of her life.

Gwen saw her pain and sat down next to her on the cot, "Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything at all?"Rose looked into Gwen's eyes and almost considered telling her everything. "No." It was unsettling how Rose had become so good at lying. She supposed it had come from lying everyday to Pete, to Mickey, to her mother. Pretending that she way happy, or atleast that she was okay. "I'm sorry I can't be more help."

Gwen ran her hand comfortingly up and down Rose's back, "That's okay." She shared a glance with the others, "Why don't you get some  
more rest."

"No." Rose stood up slowly in protest. "I've rested enough. I want to help."

The other shared another significant glance before Gwen stood up next to Rose, "Of course. Why don't you change into these clothes  
I found for you and get washed up. There's a washroom right over there. And then you can come up to get better acquainted."

Gwen smiled at her and Rose smiled back. Finally, she would be able to start putting together the jigsaw puzzle that was her life.

While Rose was busy changing, the Torchwood crew was busy discussing the series of events that had occurred over the past couple of days.  
"  
"Well, I think she knows more than she's letting on," Owen said exasperatingly, as soon as they reached the consoles and were safely  
out of Rose's ear reach.

Gwen glared at him, "You would, Owen. You don't trust anyone. She's just a scared girl who wants to figure out what happened to her."

"You'll buy any sob story that's thrown at you, won't you. Gwen Cooper - protector of the innocent. When are you going to stop

assuming everyone is a victim?" Owen asked frustratingly.

Gwen looked Owen in the eye, "The day you stop assuming everyone has alterior motives."

Tosh stepped in between the glaring Gwen and Owen, "We need to regroup here and start acting like a team. I'm sick of  
everyone has been worrying about their own problems and not the problems we are supposed to be here to solve."  
Realizing thatshe had everyone's attention, Tosh continued, "Now, we have a girl down there, whether she's telling us the truth or not, who is our  
best lead in figuring out how to capture this beast. She doesn't remember anything now, but that doesn't mean she won't eventually.  
Let's give her some time. Now, what are we going to do to solve this problem?"

Owen, Gwen, and Ianto were all looking at Tosh, somewhat surprised at her audacity and command.

Owen pulled on his lab coat and started for the infirmary. "I'm going to go check those fibers we got off of Rose's jacket," he said  
without a backward glance their way.

Ianto moved to the exit, "I think I'll go get some Chinese food before I get started on checking those CCTV cameras from last night.  
I think everyone could use a little food right about now."

Gwen smiled at Tosh, "That was really great, Tosh. I think it was just what we needed." Gwen stole a glance at Jack's office before  
continuing, "Jack would be proud." This earned a smile from Tosh.

Gwen continued, "I'm going to go through the files and see if I can  
find anything about Rose. Anything that may tell us why she was chosen as a victim for this attack."

Rose splashed water on her face. Her head ached and she couldn't tell if it was from the physical abuse she had endured for the  
past couple of days or the fact that she was potentially and impossibly back in her own universe. She looked at her reflection in  
the mirror. Her face was thin, too thin. She hadn't noticed it before, even after the constant nagging of her mom. After Canary Wharf,  
she seemed to have lost her appetite and she hadn't really cared what she looked like. If she were healthy. Now she did. What if  
he didn't recognize her? What if he thought she had changed? What if she had changed?  
She couldn't do this to herself. Rose had spent the past 9 months slowly losing all hope that she would never see the Doctor again.  
She couldn't start to hope again. She didn't even know if she was in the right universe for sure and, even if she was, what were the  
chances of the Doctor actually finding her? He didn't know she was here. He had probably already moved on. She was just another companion  
to be put on a shelf and forgotten with all of the rest, only to be picked up and dusted off when the Doctor needed. Hope was the cruelest  
of emotions.

Rose dried off her face with a towel and walked out the door, determined to figure out what exactly had happened to her.  
Rose smiled to Owen as she walked by him. He was absorbed in work, as was everyone else she noticed as she ascended the stairs  
to what seemed to be the main room. She moved to Tosh, who was closest to her and flashing her nicest smile asked, "What are you  
working on?"

Tosh looked up, a bit flustered at the interruption. "The creature we're tracking seems to be linked to a very distinct weather pattern.  
I'm writing a program to recognize this weather pattern in case it appears again, as well as cross-referencing the data we gathered  
from the storm with storms in the past to attempt to identify if the creature has made any prior appearances," Tosh spewed off  
passionately.

"You seem so dedicated to your work. All of you," Rose began, looking around at the others all furiously at work. "Do you always  
have this much passion?"

Tosh smiled warmly, "I guess we all tend to let Torchwood become our life. A bad habit, I know, but it's hard not to. It's a little crazy,  
but this place is like home and all these people are like family."

Rose smiled knowingly, though Tosh noted the smile did not seem to reach her haunted eyes, "I can understand that." She stared off  
longingly into space, before snapping out of her trance and focusing on Tosh, "So, don't think I would be too good at the computer  
program-writing stuff, but I would love to help with something."

"Why don't you go ask Gwen if she needs some help. She's trying to piece together why the creature would have wanted to take you."  
Rose nodded and thanked Tosh before wandering over to Gwen's desk, a bit worried about what problematic questions may  
arise with Gwen burying around in her past.

"Hi, Gwen." Rose said, smiling, "Tosh said I might be able to help you with - " Rose stopped distractedly, "Is that lo mein?" she  
questioned aggressively, not taking her eyes off of the paper carton.  
Gwen laughed, "Yeah. You can have it." She gestured to the stool next to her, "Sit."

Rose reached for the food slowly while lowering herself onto the stool, "Are you sure?"

"Of course. It makes my keyboard all greasy anyway," Gwen said, waving her hands over the keys in front of her. "I'm sorry we  
didn't offer anything to you sooner. You must be starving, poor thing."

Rose dove into the lo mein hungrily, "Only a little bit," she managed after her first gigantic bite. "It feels as if I haven't eaten for  
ages."

Gwen smiled at her, "You have been a bit out of it for the past couple of days."

Rose finished another bite, muttering under her breath, "You have no idea."

Gwen looked up from her work, "What was that?"

"I was wondering what I could do to help," Rose asked, changing the subject quickly.

Gwen turned in her stool to face Rose, "I do have a few more questions for you, if you're up to it."

Here it comes, Rose thought. Well, she had to answer these questions sooner or later and would be better to atleast appear like  
she had nothing to hide when she did so. "Shoot."

"Well, first of all," Gwen began, "I'm a little unclear as to what you were doing in the months prior to your alleged death. You worked  
at a shop in London up until a year and a half before and then you just sort of drop off the planet. No job. No movie rentals. Nothing."  
Rose smiled in what she hoped was a charming and innocent way. "It's a little embarrassing really. After the shop you're working  
at gets blown up right in front of you, it's a bit of a put off from the work force. From the world, really." She laughed slightly, "I guess  
I became a bit of a recluse. Still living at home, so I didn't really have to pay for groceries or nothing like that. Sure, my mother nagged  
me a bit, but she was just happy I was safe and not growing up too quickly."

Gwen wasn't sure if she believed this story. Rose did not seem like the type to give up on life or to laze about her mother's flat, nor did  
it seem likely that the girl could live in London for year and a half without so much as an overdue library book, but she didn't want to  
push it. Not so soon after she had met Rose and before she was given the chance to earn her trust.

"Rose, there's something else I need to tell you." Gwen's face got deathly serious. Rose throat tightened a bit. Did they know more  
about her than they let on? "I looked up your mother yesterday while you were still sleeping. She died that day, too. When the  
Cyberman attacked." Gwen looked at Rose sadly, waiting for her to react.

Rose put down the Chinese food slowly and looked down at the floor. It would make sense that her mother was assumed dead that  
day too. She had never really thought about it before. She had to lie to Gwen. Again. Rose looked back up, her eyes filled with  
tears, trying to remember how she had felt when the Jackie Tyler in the other universe had been turned into a Cyberman. "I know.  
I remember. The Cybermen were everywhere. My mother always thought she could win an argument with anybody. I guess she didn't  
realize that the Cybermen aren't people."

Gwen pulled Rose into a hug, "I'm so sorry, Rose." Rose felt guilt like she never had in her life. Lying to Gwen when all she wanted to do  
was help. But, as Gwen pulled her tighter, Rose felt a little less guilty as she thought of her mom, her Jackie Tyler, off in that other universe  
where she may never see her again and real tears began to run down her cheeks.

It was hours later before the team decided to take a break from their work. They gathered together in the conference room to discuss  
any progress they had made on the case.

"Tell me again why we needed pizza when we ordered Chinese food just two hours ago?" Gwen asked Ianto teasingly.

Ianto put the two pizza boxes in the middle of the table, "You'll have to ask the man with the incredibly picky taste."

Owen grabbed a piece of cheese from the top box, "I just said that the Chinese food at that place tastes like uncooked worms. I didn't  
say you had to order a whole other meal," Owen said defensively.

Rose reached across the table from her seat at the end to grab a piece, "I'm not complaining."

"Yes," Owen said, "Our little patient seems to be doing much better. What can we thank for the fast recovery?"

"Uncooked worms," Rose said devishly through a bite of her pizza. "So, what do you got for me?" she continued, gesturing to the  
papers of findings found in front of the various Torchwood members.

Owen started first, "From what I can tell the fibers found on Rose are from a material I've never seen before. The fabric has some  
traces of cotton in it, but other than that, none of the components could be identified by the computer."

"So what you're saying is that it's from the future?" Gwen asked.

Owen pointed at Gwen, "Now that's what I thought, until I analyzed the final fiber we found. It turns out it is a fabric found generally in  
the clothing of the ancient Egyptians."

Ianto looked around at everyone seated at the table, "So what exactly does that mean?"

They all remained silent, until Rose, staring off into the distance mumbled to no one in particular, "It means it's a time traveler." Everyone  
looked surprisedly at her.

"Like the Doctor." Tosh stated.

Rose suddenly came alive, "What do you know about the Doctor?!" Rose demanded harshly, rushing over to Tosh and taking her by the shoulders.

Tosh, feeling rather threatened by Rose's rough tone and aggressive actions, managed to sputter out, "Only what the Torchwood document states:  
an alien time traveler, knowledgable in all things extra-terrestrial, enemy to the empire."

"It's that kind of talk that got people killed at the London Torchwood!" Rose hurled accusingly. And with that, she stormed out, leaving the room in a state  
of utter shock.

There was an uneasy silence before Owen spoke up,"Umm...are we going to talk about that?"

Gwen looked concernedly at the door, "Shouldn't someone go after her?"

"In case she escapes?" Owen asked.

"In case she's upset, you moron." Gwen said, moving to go.

Ianto put a hand up to stop her. I'll go after her. You stay here. Discuss." And with that, Ianto grabbed a pizza box and left the room in pursuit of  
Rose, leaving the room in surprise for the second time in a matter of minutes.

Ianto found Rose sitting upstairs in Jack's office. This almost made him turn back. It had been hard to go in there ever since Jack  
had disappeared. But the thought of Jack made him even more sure that he should try to help Rose. He pushed open the door slowly,  
causing Rose to look up from the chair she was seated in behind Jack's desk.

He put the pizza box in the door ahead of him like a white flag, "I've brought a piece offering."

Rose neither smiled, nor threw him out, which Ianto took as an invitation to come in. He walked in, placed the pizza on the table and brought  
a chair up to the otherside of the desk, sitting down in it.

Before Ianto had time to attempt to think of something comforting to say, Rose spoke. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I know you guys are trying to help."

"You should never feel sorry for showing people how you feel, " Ianto advised. "Just make sure you're not controlled by your emotions."

Rose sighed, "I've never been very good at that part."

There was a friendly silence before Ianto said quietly, "You lost someone, didn't you?"

Rose's eyes darted up at this, blurring instantly. "I know because I lost someone, too. That day in London. I see the same look in your eyes."

A single tear rolled down Rose's fair cheek. "What do you do? How do you get through it?" she asked, her voice small and pleading.

Ianto looked at her as if he could see right into her soul, "You hurt. Because there is nothing else you can do. Because...the only thing worse than  
hurting, is not hurting. Because that means you have forgotten."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Rose's integration into the Torchwood team, and she was as mysterious to the  
others as ever. Despite their best efforts, they had learned little more about the strange girl.

"You would think working in close contact for a week would yield a few more answers. She barely talks about  
herself," Tosh spoke quietly to Owen, Gwen and Ianto as Rose slept seemingly peacefully on the corner couch.

"Neither do any of us, really," Ianto reflected honestly. "Maybe she's really telling us the truth. Maybe she doesn't  
remember anything."

"Do you really believe that, Ianto?" Gwen asked. "The girl obviously knows more than she's letting on."

Owen turned to Gwen, surprised, "Since when did you become anti-Rose? I thought you were still doing the 'she's just  
a scared girl' bit?"

Gwen gave him a reproachful look, "I'm not saying she's not, I'm just saying there's more to this girl than meets the eye."

She began to pace back and forth in front of the group, every so often stealing a glance at Rose. "She's adapting so  
well to this new environment, taking information in stride that has caused grown men to faint."

Ianto smirked, "Well, Owen's technically a grown man, so I can't see how that is much of an argument."

Owen hit Ianto on the shoulder. "Ow," Ianto said while rubbing his shoulder.

"The girl just dropped off the face of the planet 18 months before she supposively died. Then, she turns up here with  
no memory of any suceeding events and seemingly no emotional trauma or brain damage to go along with the  
memory loss," Gwen continued thoughtfully.

"Most people would consider memory loss emotional trauma, as well as brain damage. A way of dealing with a  
severely negative series of events by repressing them completely. Rose fits the profile," Tosh argued.

Gwen stopped pacing and turned to the rest, "But she doesn't fit the profile. You were right about one thing, Owen,"  
Gwen said, causing Owen to perk up, "Rose is not a victim. We may not know a lot about her personal history, but  
I think we're beginning to learn a bit about who she is and she's not the type of person to run away from her  
problems."

On the otherside of the room, Rose was lying quietly, trying to catch what the others were saying. She had woken  
just a few minutes earlier to the hushed whispers of the Owen, Gwen, Tosh, and Ianto across the room. You know,  
for trained special agents, they were not very inconspicuous when it came to having a private conversation.  
She supposed that partially had to do with the fact that they trusted her. Though she knew they were currently having  
a conversation about the mysteriousness of her, she knew that if they didn't trust her atleast somewhat, she probably  
wouldn't even be here right now. She would be in some pub trying to remember how she got from one universe's  
London to another's Cardiff.

From what Rose gathered, the team had been somewhat lost as of late due to the disappearance of their  
boss just a month prior. They didn't like to talk about it much, but every so often they would mention his name, Jack.  
When she had asked Ianto about what happened, he had made up some lame excuse about a long overdue  
vacation. She wasn't sure where this "Jack" was, but she knew one thing: he was on a long overdue vacation just  
as much as she was.

To be truthful, Rose didn't really like to talk about it either. Just the name "Jack" made her think of her Jack, now long  
dead (or not yet alive, depending on how you looked at it). As if this wasn't bad enough, this line of rather depressing  
thought of course eventually led to the Doctor (although which line of her thought didn't). Rose didn't know why, but after  
having the heartfelt, albeit brief, chat with Ianto, she had been thinking of the Doctor more and more. She supposed Ianto  
was right, the only thing worse than hurting, was not hurting.

She wondered what the Doctor was up to now. Probably in the midst of some life-or-death battle, sonic screwdriver in one  
hand, a new companion in the other. There she goes again. Rose told herself that she didn't care if the Doctor had a new  
companion, as long as he was alive. Well, that was enough sulking for one day. She then "woke up" in the noisiest way  
possible. When she sat up and opened her eyes, the other four were trying to look casual, though they looked more like  
they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "Hello!" Rose said cheerfully, "What did I miss?"

Owen, Gwen, Tosh, and Ianto had been in the midst of debating a confrontation of Rose, when she woke up and interrupted  
their discussion. Tosh stepped nervously towards her, "Sleep well, Rose?"

"I feel like a new woman," Rose said smiling. "Now all I need is a good cup of tea. Anyone else?" she asked, all of them shaking  
their heads, their minds obviously still on something else.

When Rose returned 15 minutes later with her cup of tea, the group was still huddled in a corner, obviously planning something.  
Here it comes, Rose thought, flinching inwardly. This should be a fun conversation. Thank you for saving my life and all, but I've been  
lying to you this entire time. I'm really a former time traveler who ended up stuck in an alternate universe. Bye. And that was the  
optimistic version of the conversation.

The four colleagues stepped forward, Gwen opening her mouth tentatively to speak, "Rose we've been wanting to talk to you about  
something - " Suddenly, a loud siren began to go off, causing them all to throw their hands over their ears.

"What the hell is that?!" Owen yelled over the racket.

Tosh made her way over to her desk and pressed a few buttons on her computer to stop the noise, "Sorry about that. It's the signal  
from the program I designed to alert us if anymore abnormal weather patterns appeared."

Owen glared at her, "And you couldn't have made the alert, I don't know, a nice bird chirping, a pleasant classical arrangment, anything  
else!"

Tosh began to frantically press buttons on her keyboard. "It's an alert. It's supposed to got our attention," Tosh said defensively, though  
obviously distracted by her work.

"Mission accomplished," Owen muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Rose stepped up next to Tosh. "Will you stop it, Owen, there's more important things happening," she said, gesturing to the screen.  
"What does it say, Tosh?"

"The pattern just popped up over the eastern part of the city. Hold on, I'm trying to triangulate the signal," she said, frantically pushing  
buttons. "It appears to be originating - " Tosh began, but stopped suddenly, looking up at Rose.

Rose waited somewhat impatiently for Tosh to continue, "Yes...?"

"From where we found you," Tosh admitted slowly.

Gwen moved up to join them at the console, "But that doesn't make any sense. The signal's not moving. Before,  
the creature was moving all across the city. Why is this time any different?"

There was an awkward silence before Rose said quietly aloud what everyone was thinking, "Because it hasn't got me."

Owen moved to grab his coat, "Well, whatever the reason, we need to get out there now, before it disappears again."

The others, save Ianto, went to follow.

Rose grabbed her jacket from where she had left it on the couch, "I'm coming with you."

This statement halted the others at the door. They all turned before Gwen said, "Rose, we can't let you do that. For  
so many reasons."

A beeping came from Tosh's computer as Ianto looked up and said, "It's moving again. It's almost as if -"

Rose interrupted, "-as if it wants you to follow." She turned to the others, speaking in what she hoped was a  
convincing tone, "Listen, I know you have questions about me. I know that I haven't been very honest with all of  
you about my past when you've all been honest with me, but I am telling the truth when I say that you can trust me."

"Rose..." Gwen began.

Rose began to move closer to Gwen, Owen, and Tosh, "For some reason, this creature wants me." She stopped in  
front of Gwen, looking her in the eye. "I can help you."

Gwen shared a look with Owen before turning back to Rose. "Fine. But you need to do exactly what we tell you. This  
creature is extremely dangerous."

Rose threw her jacket on, "Deal." She walked past Owen, Tosh, and Gwen, looking back at them to say, "Danger  
is practically my middle name."

It was nearly an hour later before the Torchwood team was anywhere near catching the creature.

"Is it just me, or is it faster this time?" Owen asked, increduously.

Rose's voice piped in from the back seat, "Well, it was lugging me around last time."

Owen snorted skeptically, "Still, what's that? All of five pounds?"

Rose sat, reflecting in her seat. Owen was right. From what she had heard about her rescue from Gwen, it would have  
been relatively easy to track down the creature if not for the freak rain storm that followed it around. Even discounting the  
horrible weather, this chase was anything but easy. It's like the creature was always guiding their actions, trying to get  
them to do something. She doubted in was a coincidence that they had rescued her. That was what the creature had  
wanted. But what did it want now?

"It's slowing down," Rose heard Tosh say from beside her. "On the same street. Just like before." Maybe Rose was wrong about this.

Gwen looked out the window, squinting her eyes in an attempt to see something, anything. "No. Before it disappeared."

"And now it's disappeared," Tosh said exasperatingly.

Owen stopped the car, "Way to go, Gwen."

"Right. That was all my fault."

Tosh unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "Let's go check it out."

Rose unbuckled her seatbelt and went to get out of the car, but Gwen put a hand on her knee to stop her. "No, Rose. You  
stay in the car. We still don't know what is out there." Rose went to protest, but Gwen looked her in the eye and said, "We had  
a deal, remember?" Rose sat back, defeated. Gwen smiled at her, "We'll be back before you know it."

Owen, Tosh and Gwen moved quickly down the alley, eager to sort this out and get back in the van away from the rain and cold.  
This time, there was no creature, no dark form, no Rose.

Owen moved to avoid a puddle, but was not quick enough. "Lovely," he said, attempting to kick the water off of his shoe.

Gwen smiled charmingly at him, "Owen, I don't think there's really any point to that. It's still - " She paused a moment. In the distance  
they heard a loud crash and the sound of a car alarm before a terrified scream filled the night air. "-raining," Gwen said the last word  
forcefully, as she raced back down the street, Owen and Tosh right behind her.

As she rounded the corner and her eyes immediately found where the van was parked, she thought for a moment that everything was  
alright and she was simply imagining things. That was until a creature, blacker than the night around them, with blood red eyes and  
a scale-like, oily skin dragged Rose from behind the van, a curved, shining knife to her pale throat.

"Gwen?" Rose questioning, her eyes filled with terror, making her seem the 19 years she rarely looked.

Gwen moved slowly toward the creature who hissed and tightened his grasp on Rose as she did so. "You will not come any closer,"  
he hissed with a ferocity she had rarely experienced.

Gwen put her hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm stopping right here," she said loudly so that Owen and Tosh who were now standing  
behind her would be sure to hear. "Now, why don't you let the girl go."

The creature let out a cruel and joyless laugh, "The girl. You say that as if she is insignificant. As if the fate of this universe and all the  
other ones out there did not depend on her." He leaned down, licking the side of Rose's face with a thin, snake-like tongue, causing  
her to whimper in fear and disgust. "'This girl' has burned as brightly as that sun in your sky. She tastes of power. Do you humans even  
know what that means? Have you ever tasted pure, undiluted power?"

A small, cold instrument came to the back of the creatures neck, causing him to stop speaking. Then Rose heard a voice she thought she would  
never hear again.

"She said," the Doctor spat out with pure hatred in his voice, pausing to maintain his control, "Let. Her. Go."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the delay. I had some technical difficulties, so I couldn't upload the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

Rose's heart filled with a feeling she thought she would never experience again. She had hope. The doctor was here and that meant everything was going to be alright.

The creature holding Rose captive, however, apparently did not feel the same way. "Or you'll do what?"  
he asked, chuckling lightly to himself. "Prod me with your broken instrument. You can't see me, Doctor,  
but I can see you," the creature spat out mysteriously, pressing the very edge of the blade into Rose's  
neck, making the Doctor flinch.

Suddenly, a figure materialized directly in front of the creature out of thin air, a large gun pointing directly  
at the head of the creature, "Bet you didn't see me," he said, pulling the trigger, causing the creature to blast  
backwards powerfully against the Torchwood van behind it, the knife in its hand barely missing a shocked Rose  
as it did so.

Tosh stepped forward, shining her flashlight into the face of the mysterious savior, "Jack..?" she asked, almost unable  
to believe it.

Jack stepped towards her, letting the gun he was holding drop to the ground. "Hey, Tosh," he said, his  
voice light and happy, "I trained you guys well. I find you right where the evil is." He swept her up into a hug before doing the same  
with a similarly shocked Gwen and Owen.

Rose was in a state of utter confusion. In the past few minutes she had become the hostage to a rather disgusting-looking, evil  
creature, rediscovered the Doctor, and watched a friend she thought dead miraculously appear before her to save her from imminent death. But out  
of all of those things, the only thing that seemed to matter was the Doctor. She turned slowly around to see him, a rare look  
of relief, disbelievability, and joy on his face. Sure, he was soaking wet and had an interesting blue suit on, but it was definitely her  
Doctor. Rose moved her hand slowly up to meet his handsome, tired face. _Can I touch you? I'm still just an image. No touch._

The Doctor, usually completely confident of his lucidity, was not sure that this moment was actually happening. A thousand different  
equations raced through his head, but when Rose touched him, he only saw her. _Am I ever gonna see you again?  
You can't._

Rose had dreamed this moment countless time, never quite believing that it would ever come true. So, she did the only thing  
she could think to do. She smiled, the first real smile she had for a long time, the smile she reserved for the Doctor, and said,  
"Hello."

"Hello," the Doctor said cheerfully, beaming down at Rose. His Rose. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her shutter as he did  
so. "Rose Tyler," he stated simply, as if the two words conveyed everything he ever wanted to say. Rose clutched him tightly, tears  
streaming down her cheeks, afraid to let go of him for fear he would slip away from her once again.

The two broke apart with a clearing of the throat from Jack. "Don't I get a hug?" he asked, smiling, holding out his arms in front of him.

Rose smiled back at him and walked into his arms. "I thought you were dead," she whispered.

He laughed as he stroked her back, "It's going to take more than a few Daleks to bring me down."

Rose laughed through her tears, "I've never been so happy to see you in my life." She pulled back to look him in the face, "Where exactly  
did you come from?"

Jack walked over to the Doctor, "That would be the Doctor's doing, of course. One of his gadgets."

This statement seemed to break the Doctor out of his trance, who had never stayed so quiet for so long in his life. "Well, I needed  
something to replace the sonic screwdriver, didn't I?."

Rose spoke up, appalled, "What happened?" The sonic screwdriver seemed more of a friend to Rose  
than many of the people she had met on her trips to alien worlds and ancient pasts, a constant through all of her adventures.

"Dropped it into a Martian pot of tertellium. Nasty little substance," he said quickly, looking off into the distance as if to remember  
the events before focusing again on the situation at hand. "Real question is, how did that creature know it was broken?"

"What exactly is going on here?" Gwen demanded. "You three seem to know more than the rest of us, at least that's what I gather from your  
little reunion here," Gwen glanced at Rose a bit harshly before continuing, "and I think the rest of us deserve some answers."

The Doctor looked at Jack, obviously waiting for him to speak. "Doctor," he began, "this is my team: Owen, Gwen, and Tosh. Guys,  
this...is the Doctor." Jack looked at their angry faces. "And I see you've met Rose," he said cheerily, almost as a peace offering.

Rose stepped up next to Jack. "Yeah, best not to mention that if you're trying to get on their good side. I've not exactly been the most honest of  
guests," she said ashamedly. Rose offered a smile, "Sorry."

The moment was tense before the Doctor stepped in between the Jack and Rose and Owen, Gwen, and Tosh. "Yeah, hate to interrupt this  
heart-to-heart," he said pleasantly. "Owen, Gwen, Tosh," he shook each of their hands as he pronounced their names. "However, this evil  
problem we have here is not going to solve itself, so it might be best if we moved this gathering back to your facilities." They all began to  
move back to the rather beat up looking van. "Brilliant," the Doctor exclaimed, excited now that things were moving forward.

"Now, Rose," the Doctor said, bringing his attention back to the now somewhat bloody and completely soaked girl, "Why don't you come  
with me to park the TARDIS. Can't leave it just anywhere when the game is afoot." He offered his arm in a gentlemanly way.

Rose smiled brightly, "'Course." She linked her arm with his and they started walking down the street while the others piled into the van.

Once they were all inside the van, there was a moment of silence before everyone seemed to start talking at once. Jack held his hands  
up in a defensive gesture, "Hey, hey. One at a time please."

Gwen spoke first. "Where the hell did you go?" she asked. "One minute you were there, and the next..."

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry I left so abruptly, but I needed some answers of my own. Answers only the Doctor could give. I saw my  
opportunity to get those answers and I took it. No time for hesitation," he said apologetically.

"Who exactly is this man you're traveling with?" Tosh asked, an air of concern in her voice, "The Doctor is supposed to be an enemy  
of Torchwood, of the empire."

"Those are all lies," Jack said vehemently. "The Doctor is a good man. Well, life form."

Owen rolled his eyes from the front seat, "You're not saying he's... an alien?"

Jack silence said everything. "Oh, fantastic," Owen exclaimed.

"Then how does he know Rose?" Gwen thought a moment before continuing, "How do _you_ know Rose?"

Jack thought carefully before responding to the question, "I traveled with them both a while ago." He paused again before  
continuing, "The Doctor needed someone to travel with him. Everyone needs someone, When I met the Doctor, Rose was  
that someone. They make quite a pair those two. Companions, traveling across the universe together." Jack smiled at the thought.

Owen snorted from the front seat, "Companions. That's one word for it."

"Thanks for that," Rose said as she and the Doctor walked briskly along. "Don't think that lot wants to talk to me much right now."

The Doctor smirked back at her, "Yeah, what'd you do to them, steal their puppy?" He leaned down closer to Rose as if telling a secret,  
"Truth is, didn't really want you riding in that van. Looks like it's seen better days."

Rose glared up at him with mock anger, "And you would leave poor Jack to that fate?"

The Doctor smiled to himself, "Oh, something tells me Jack doesn't have too much to worry about."

They rounded the corner to see the police box, "And here we are then," the Doctor exclaimed.

Rose ran from his side to the TARDIS, attempting to wrap her arms around the box.

The Doctor watched her amusedly. "You know, it's smaller on the outside, but not that small," he quipped, earning him an exasperated glance.

Rose turned slowly toward the Doctor, "I guess I was afraid it might change." She paused before adding, "That you might change."

"New, new, new Doctor?" he said, reminiscing.

"I guess I just haven't really wrapped my brain around everything yet - decided if it's real," Rose said quietly, turning to look at the Doctor.

The Doctor walked up to Rose and she swore that when she looked up into his eyes, they were glassy with emotion. "Some things will never  
change, Rose," he said tenderly, bringing his hand up to her cheek. The Doctor opened his mouth to continue when the door to the TARDIS opened  
suddenly, startling both of them and bringing their attention away from each other to the lighted doorway.

In it stood a tall, pretty, black girl who couldn't have been older than 25. Rose noted that she looked rather aggravated, an  
assumption that was confirmed when the girl opened her mouth to speak, "Doctor, where have you been? I've been worried  
sick about you?" She glanced past the Doctor and Rose before continuing, "And where has Jack run off to? He better not need  
any rescuing because early 21st century Cardiff is not exactly my idea of intrigue and adventure." The girl seemed to notice Rose  
for the first time, extending her hand towards her and saying with a polite smile, "I'm sorry. I'm being rude. My name is Martha. Martha Jones."


End file.
